Your brain is changing right now

Your brain is changing.

Are you in charge of how it is changing?In the previous blog post, I talked about the power of our unconscious mind and the incredible potential of neuroplasticity. If you missed the post, you can find the details here.

What is neuroplasticity?

The best way I can describe neuroplasticity is:

It's the capacity of our brain and our entire nervous system to rewire our established ways of functioning and create new neural connections and new patterns. And with that, we create a new state of being, new behaviour and habits, different thought patterns, different emotional states, and even change in the functioning of our organs, etc.

What neuroplasticity and trains have in common

I often use the train analogy to explain neuroplastic changes. To simplify, imagine that you are using the same train every day from the city you live in, to another major city. This is the only train and stops you know and is as familiar to you as the back of your own hand.

One day you realize that this train ride is not serving you anymore.

Perhaps you realize you are not feeling all that well and maybe you feel stuck. So you decide to give yourself a new year's resolution or start a new diet, or start a new job, new relationship or you move to a new house.

Except...the only train you know is the same old train and the same old tracks.

In order to create a sustainable change, we need to have a train riding to several different cities and on different tracks. But very often, we are still using the old train and the old tracks!

We may become frustrated or feel helpless or even tell ourselves: I simply can't do it, no matter how hard I try!

For example, let's say I ride from Burlington to Toronto and back, over and over again. But in order for my desired change to take place, I need to go all the way to Niagara Falls, to Guelph, to Barrie, and I need to go there in a more updated train.

Guess what? I have no tracks and my current train has no capacity to go all the way to these places!

That's why new year resolutions, diets, and even relationships often don't work because we are running on the same old tracks with the same less and less efficient train. So if you want a major change in your health, in your relationships, in your business, in your thinking, you need a 100% commitment, dedication, and patience because rebuilding trains and creating new tracks doesn't happen overnight.

And here is a quick tip for this week:

The company we keep most often undoubtedly contributes to neuroplastic changes in our nervous system. People who we spend the most time will contribute to shaping us. Toxic people will change our brains, no doubt.

That's why you may have heard the popular saying: the company we keep may be more important than the food we eat. Allow yourself to regularly be surrounded by people who inspire you and make you want to create many new tracks and rebuild your metaphorical train.